This is going to be a new segment on the blog wherein I post about things that are currently thrilling, on Thursdays. It most likely will not be every single Thursday, but let’s aim for once a month at the very least. I’m trying to get into the habit of blogging much more systematically, and this should help.
First off, let’s start with something Catholic before I go off topic. Though I don’t have an Android anymore (sometimes I miss the little green dude) through Twitter I found an amazing app that is a 1962 Missal and Breviary! I’m all about that pre-VII life yo. If I didn’t have a basic iPhone 6s I’d totally have it. I know using your phone during mass is a little weird and not recommended, but the app is still pretty cool. The thought of whipping out a phone during a Latin mass is pretty funny to me. I’ll have to show the discovery to my parish priest, since we’re cool like that. Having religious as friends is really cool and amazing and edifying btw. Highly recommended.
Next, I want to take a long minute or two to rave about the new brand I discovered, Colourpop Cosmetics. This brand is nothing short of AMAZING. The colors are rich, super pigmented, and the staying power is ridiculously good. For example, I was wearing a satin lippie stix (Frida) while eating heavy duty carne asada fries with my beloved boyfriend, and the color barely budged. I’m talking extra carne, a ton of melty cheese, fresh guac, and sour cream, and I still looked on point for just stuffing my face. The brand is affordable, high quality, and without yucky ingredients, so I’ll definitely be back to pick up some ultra satin and matte lippies. (I’ve got my eye on Echo Park, Dopey, and Lumiere 2)
Lastly, since we’re on the topic of beauty I also discovered some fabulous falsies at Wal-Mart. I didn’t take pictures, but they are the demi wispies from Salon Perfect. They’re an exact dupe for my other favorite brand, Ardell, and they’re a little cheaper. I am currently obsessed with them; my regimen isn’t complete until they’re on and I can flutter away into a glittery oblivion with my lashes. I doubted the power of falsies before I tried them for myself, and there’s no going back.
So there you go, missals and makeup. That’s all me, friends.
Thursday, June 16, 2016
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Why Teen Masses Should Cease to Exist
I’m totally serious, by the way. Wherever there is a youth group, chances are there’s going to be a youth/teen centered mass somewhere nearby. At first it sounds like a good idea; I’ve been to many a teen mass in my youth group days. Why not bring youth closer to Christ in a setting designed specifically for them? What could possibly be wrong with that? Like I said, on a surfacey level it sounds alright, but after digging deeper it’s not something to be admired.
The problem with the idea of focusing mass around a specific bracket is that it sets the stage to start believing and thinking that mass is about you, and about us. (It’s not.)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is already universal; you literally cannot get any more universal than what it already is. We don’t need to set up masses specifically for a certain group of people, in this case for the youth. Of course we should always encourage our young people to go to mass, I’m not saying we shouldn’t. The problem with teen masses is that they tend to lose the sense of the sacred for the sake of appealing to the youth. For one example, the music will change. What ends up being played is cheesy (and heretical) Protestant songs, because they’re nice and they feel good to listen to.
Nice, warm, and fuzzy for the teens. Not too intimidating and not too Catholic.
Riddle me this; if we are Catholics at a Catholic mass, preparing to receive Christ in His True Presence as He instructed us to do as Catholics, then why oh why are Protestant worships jams being played to honor and recognize the sacrament? Especially when their teachings deny and reject His Church and His True Presence?
It doesn’t and won’t make sense, because there is absolutely no reason for it, with or without youth.
Highly emotional music doesn’t set up the proper foundation for firm faith. I know this because I experienced it as a teen. When the emotions faded and I longed for something more tangible and concrete, I was plunged into an existential meltdown, which was followed by a major crisis of faith. The emotional foundation I had set up came crumbling down, and I was ready to not be Catholic anymore. My skewed way of thinking was this, “I don’t feel good anymore, and if faith is about feeling good and high on the Spirit, then why I should keep being Catholic? What’s the point?” I did come out of it, but it was first by saying goodbye to youth masses.
It usually doesn’t end there. More often than not teens will be encouraged to take up unnecessary roles in the mass. “Inclusion” and “community” are important, you know. This could be in the form of being Eucharistic ministers, or even taking part in skits during mass, I’ve seen it all. I personally think we’re having a vocation crisis to the diocesan priesthood because priests are not being allowed to do their jobs with all of these liturgical ministries and whatnot intercepting and trying to act like they’re the consecrated religious souls. My theory is that because boys and young men are not witnessing their parish priests be the priests these unnecessary ministries and committee’s are allowing them to be, the said boys and young men are not inspired to the priesthood. Why should they be when it’s usually a bunch of older women and their peers running the show? Sure it sounds harsh, but it makes sense. Leave it to the priests and (male) altar servers to prepare for mass, not anyone else who isn’t absolutely necessary. And be masculine while you’re at it, examples of masculinity inspires masculinity.
You could read this and think I’m a crazy traditionalist who hates teens. The former might be slightly true, but I don’t hate teens, or bringing them closer to Christ. I’ve been a youth leader for years; I jumped at being a youth leader the first chance I got. Save your ad hominems for later, friends.
The point is to encourage teens to attend mass, but let them inspired by the sacred, not the silly. I can guarantee you that a sacred mass will inspire teens to follow and live their lives for Christ in ways superior to any youth mass. There’s something just so inherently beautiful and inspirational about sacred masses, it touches your soul, not just the heart. If you haven’t figured it out, I’ve been referring to the Latin mass. Go ahead and try it if you haven’t yet, you’ve literally got nothing to lose.
The problem with the idea of focusing mass around a specific bracket is that it sets the stage to start believing and thinking that mass is about you, and about us. (It’s not.)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is already universal; you literally cannot get any more universal than what it already is. We don’t need to set up masses specifically for a certain group of people, in this case for the youth. Of course we should always encourage our young people to go to mass, I’m not saying we shouldn’t. The problem with teen masses is that they tend to lose the sense of the sacred for the sake of appealing to the youth. For one example, the music will change. What ends up being played is cheesy (and heretical) Protestant songs, because they’re nice and they feel good to listen to.
Nice, warm, and fuzzy for the teens. Not too intimidating and not too Catholic.
Riddle me this; if we are Catholics at a Catholic mass, preparing to receive Christ in His True Presence as He instructed us to do as Catholics, then why oh why are Protestant worships jams being played to honor and recognize the sacrament? Especially when their teachings deny and reject His Church and His True Presence?
It doesn’t and won’t make sense, because there is absolutely no reason for it, with or without youth.
Highly emotional music doesn’t set up the proper foundation for firm faith. I know this because I experienced it as a teen. When the emotions faded and I longed for something more tangible and concrete, I was plunged into an existential meltdown, which was followed by a major crisis of faith. The emotional foundation I had set up came crumbling down, and I was ready to not be Catholic anymore. My skewed way of thinking was this, “I don’t feel good anymore, and if faith is about feeling good and high on the Spirit, then why I should keep being Catholic? What’s the point?” I did come out of it, but it was first by saying goodbye to youth masses.
It usually doesn’t end there. More often than not teens will be encouraged to take up unnecessary roles in the mass. “Inclusion” and “community” are important, you know. This could be in the form of being Eucharistic ministers, or even taking part in skits during mass, I’ve seen it all. I personally think we’re having a vocation crisis to the diocesan priesthood because priests are not being allowed to do their jobs with all of these liturgical ministries and whatnot intercepting and trying to act like they’re the consecrated religious souls. My theory is that because boys and young men are not witnessing their parish priests be the priests these unnecessary ministries and committee’s are allowing them to be, the said boys and young men are not inspired to the priesthood. Why should they be when it’s usually a bunch of older women and their peers running the show? Sure it sounds harsh, but it makes sense. Leave it to the priests and (male) altar servers to prepare for mass, not anyone else who isn’t absolutely necessary. And be masculine while you’re at it, examples of masculinity inspires masculinity.
You could read this and think I’m a crazy traditionalist who hates teens. The former might be slightly true, but I don’t hate teens, or bringing them closer to Christ. I’ve been a youth leader for years; I jumped at being a youth leader the first chance I got. Save your ad hominems for later, friends.
The point is to encourage teens to attend mass, but let them inspired by the sacred, not the silly. I can guarantee you that a sacred mass will inspire teens to follow and live their lives for Christ in ways superior to any youth mass. There’s something just so inherently beautiful and inspirational about sacred masses, it touches your soul, not just the heart. If you haven’t figured it out, I’ve been referring to the Latin mass. Go ahead and try it if you haven’t yet, you’ve literally got nothing to lose.
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| Source: Giphy |
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